It is a popular activity to cook foods over a charcoal grill, but certain drawbacks to this process have led to the development of various gas fired barbeque products that mimic the effects of charcoal grilling. In general, these devices lack the ability to impart a natural wood smoke flavor to the items being grilled. It is possible to add wood chips to such grills, but this is seldom done and is in some cases awkward.
Many people still prefer to cook over true charcoal/wood fires, but this activity is often avoided due to the time required to get coals up to a proper state of combustion. At sea level, this starting process typically requires at least thirty minutes using natural combustion products, without hydrocarbon starting fluids, and a chimney lighter, a common and often-used lighting device. An illustrative example of a chimney lighter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,040, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The problem of charcoal/wood ignition is greatly increased as one travels to higher altitudes, where the concentration of oxygen decreases with height above sea level. At seven thousand feet altitude, it typically requires an hour or more to start a charcoal briquette barbeque using a conventional chimney lighter device. The addition of various liquid hydrocarbon fuels to the charcoal will speed the process. However, these hydrocarbon fuels may impart a chemical flavor to the foods being cooked and/or otherwise expose the foods to chemical byproducts associated with the hydrocarbon fuels. As such, many choose not to use such liquid and other forms of hydrocarbon additives.